18 Killed in Bus Accident in Nathpa

18 people were reported killed and 15 others injured when a private bus plunged into a gorge in Nathpa district of Himachal Pradesh at 4pm on Tuesday, 1 September.

The bus from Rampur was on its way to Tapri in Kinnaur when the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle. It skidded off the road and fell into a deep gorge in Nathpa, which is located near the 1500 MW Natpha Jhakri project in Kinnaur district.

More details awaited.

Governor and Chief Minister express grief over Nathpa bus accident

Governor Acharya Devvrat and Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh have expressed grief over bus accident near Nathpa in Kinnaur district today in which around 18 persons lost their lives and 15 to 17 persons were reported injured.

As per the reports reaching State Headquarters, the ill-fated private bus was on the way from Tapri to Shimla and rolled down in a deep gorge near Nathpa at around 4 PM. Chief Minister directed the district administration to provide immediate relief as per the relief manual to the next of the kin of the deceased.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner, Kinnaur, Naresh Kumar Lath telephonically informed that as many as 18 died on the spot and more than 15 were injured who were being treated at Bhawanagar hospital and the serious were being taken to Khaneri hospital Rampur. He said that help was being sought from the Army and the disaster management team. The Police and Home-guards teams had been rushed to the spot to carry relief and rescue operations.

Jagat Singh Negi, Deputy Speaker Vidhan Sabha also reached the spot and monitored relief and rescue operations.

He said that a sum of Rs. 25 thousand had been distributed to the family members of those died in the mishap and Rs.15 thousand to the injured as an immediate relief.

The Chief Minister has ordered magisterial inquiry into the mishap which would be conducted by SDM Bhabanagar, Neelam Dulta.

Transport Minister G.S. Bali has also expressed grief over the bus accident and said that an inquiry would be conducted to know about the cause of accident.

All the Cabinet Minister and Chief Parliamentary secretaries also expressed grief over the Mishap.

CM inaugurates police post and ATM at Sarahan

Chief Minister, Shri Virbhadra Singh inaugurated police post at Sarahan in district Shimla today. This police post has been constructed at a cost of Rs. 42 lakhs. He also inaugurated ATM of Himachal Pradesh State Co-Operative Bank Ltd. at Sarahan. 

Shri Virbhadra Singh on the occasion said that State Co-Operative Bank was providing best of the services to all sections especially rural populace of the Society. With the opening of ATM facility at Sarahan, 40 ATM’s of the bank had become functional in the State. State Co-Operative Bank was serving the people of the State through its 186 branches and 17 extension counters and it was the first Co-Operative Bank of the country which was providing ATM facilities to its customers.

Chief Minister said that Bank would establish 60 ATM’s through out the State this year, so that more and more people could be benefited with this facility. He said that Sarahan was also a famous religious place and ATM facility here would benefit the Pilgrims. He expressed happiness that State Co-Operative Bank has received four National level awards for its outstanding achievements. 

Chairman of the State Co-Operative Bank, Shri Harsh Mahajan said that bank was providing RTGS, Mobile and Online Banking facilities to its costumers. Bank had been connected with National Financial Switch Network (NFS) and this was helping its customers to use ATM’s of many of other Banks. He said that State Co-Operative Bank was mainly facilitating rural people and those residing in far flung areas of the state. Farmers and Fruit producers were being provided loans and other facilities form the bank. 

Member Parliament, Smt. Pratibha Singh, Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Shri Nand Lal, Chairman of Sports, Culture and Environment Council, Shri Vikramaditaya Singh, Chairman, Agriculture Rural Development Bank, Shri Devi Singh Jistu, Chairman, Kailash Federation, Shri Brij Lal, Chairman, Municipal Committee, Rampur, Shri Deepak Sood, Vice-Chairman, State Co-Operative Bank Limted, Shri Pitamber Dass Negi, Vice-Chairman, Himachal Pradesh State Industrial Development Corporation, Shri Atul Sharma, Former Chairmen, ZP Shimla, Smt. Chander Prabha Negi, Councilors of Municipal Committee, DGP, Shri Sanjay Kumar, DC, Shri Dinesh Malhotra, SP, Shri Abhishek Dullar, Senior Party Office bearers and prominent people of the area were present on the occasion.

The vanishing gods of Himachal

The deities are no more gracing the "land of the gods", as Himachal Pradesh is known. They have been silently whisked away by antique smugglers.

The theft earlier this week of six ancient idols and antiques worth over Rs.1.50 crore from a three-century old Bondra 'devta' temple at Bachunch village near Rohru town, some 120 km from Shimla, has once again put the spotlight on the treasures lying vulnerable in hundreds of temples and monasteries.

Bondra 'devta' temple at Bachunch village near Rohru

Police say it's one of the biggest heists in a religious place in the recent past. In the past 15 years, at least 100 thefts from temples have been reported, over 20 of them notable ones. The police suspect the involvement of Nepali migrants in connivance with foreign antique smugglers.

"It's a serious issue. We will certainly soon implement some foolproof security arrangement in all the prominent temples and monasteries," Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order)Sanjay Kumar told IANS. He said directions would be issued to the temple and monastery committees to put up iron grills where the idols and ornaments are kept. "We will even convince them to install CCTV cameras and burglar alarms in the temple premises," he added. Despite a large number of thefts, the state has no policy on preserving antiques, an official said. "No proper stocktaking or verification of antiques lying in various religious places has taken place for quite some time. No one knows as to what all is there in our inventory," said an official of the state's language, art and culture department, which looks after important temples of the state.

Antique idols and valuables worth Rs.33.83 lakh were stolen from temples between 2008 and 2011, of which stolen property worth Rs.5.49 lakh were recovered, then chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal informed the assembly in a written reply April 5, 2011. He admitted in the assembly that the government had not framed any separate policy to prevent thefts from temples. Police officers say with the linking of roads in the interiors and opening of new areas for tourists, temples located there have become more vulnerable to theft.

"The gangs of smugglers recce the monasteries and temples located in the interiors in the guise of tourists in summer. In winter, they try to get away with the antiques when the temples are closed," a senior police officer, who didn't wish to be identified, told IANS. Earlier instances of theft in temples include the stealing in September 2009 of seven antique idols, most of them made of silver, from the Keem temple near Rampur town in Shimla district, about 120 km from Shimla.

Less than a week before this, five 17th century bronze idols were stolen from a temple in Nahan town. In 2008, two ancient idols were stolen from the Shoolini temple in Solan town. In another incident the same year, ancient coins and silver artefacts went missing from the Suryavanshi temple in Kullu town. In the majority of thefts, the police have failed to trace the stolen property. But there are some fortunate 'gods' who have returned to their temples.

Take the case of two antique idols of the goddess Kunzum that were stolen in 2006 from the prominent temple in Kaza in Lahaul-Spiti district. The mastermind was arrested in Delhi in March 2008 and the stolen idols were seized. Likewise, a rare five-foot bronze statue of Lord Vishnu, dating back to the eighth century, was stolen from the Hari Rai Temple in Chamba town May 6, 1971. It was recovered from a godown in Mumbai two months later and reinstalled in the temple July 7.

The hill state has over 2,000 temples and monasteries that are centuries old. Of these, 60 are under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) while 31 are under the state language, art and culture department.

Via: IANS India Private Limited

Rs. 65,000 Contributed towards C.M. Relief Fund

Chief Minister Shri Virbhadra Singh was presented a cheque of Rs. Sixty-five thousand towards C.M. Relief Fund by Chief Parliamentary Secretary Shri Nand Lal and President Citizen Rampur Smt. Indu Verma on behalf of Rampur Block Mahilla Congress here today. 

Former Member Zila Parishad Rampur Smt. Sarojini Thakur, President Congress Mahila Mandal Rampur Smt. Satya Bhushan, Councillor Municipal Corporation smt. Seema Gupta, former Councillor Smt. Meena Devi were also present on the occasion.

Chief Minister thanked them for the contributions and said that it would help in providing relief to the poor and needy people of the State.